1. The Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to optical transceivers and optical transceiver host computing systems (hereinafter referred to simply as “host”). More specifically, the present invention relates to directly mounting multiple optical transceivers without separate encasings to a host printed circuit board.
2. The Relevant Technology
Computing and networking technology have transformed our world. As the amount of information communicated over networks has increased, high speed transmission has become ever more critical. Many high speed data transmission networks rely on optical transceivers and similar devices for facilitating transmission and reception of digital data embodied in the form of optical signals over optical fibers. Optical networks are thus found in a wide variety of high speed applications ranging from as modest as a small Local Area Network (LAN) to as grandiose as the backbone of the Internet.
Typically, data transmission in such networks is implemented by way of an optical transmitter (also referred to as an electro-optic transducer), such as a laser or Light Emitting Diode (LED). The electro-optic transducer emits light when current is passed there through, the intensity of the emitted light being a function of the current magnitude. Data reception is generally implemented by way of an optical receiver (also referred to as an optoelectronic transducer), an example of which is a photodiode. The optoelectronic transducer receives light and generates a current, the magnitude of the generated current being a function of the intensity of the received light.
Various other components are also employed by the optical transceiver to aid in the control of the optical transmit and receive components, as well as the processing of various data and other signals. For example, such optical transceivers typically include a driver (e.g., referred to as a “laser driver” when used to drive a laser signal) configured to control the operation of the optical transmitter in response to various control inputs. The optical transceiver also generally includes an amplifier (e.g., often referred to as a “post-amplifier”) configured to perform various operations with respect to certain parameters of a data signal received by the optical receiver. A controller circuit (hereinafter referred to as the “controller”) controls the operation of the laser driver and post amplifier.
The various components of the optical transceiver are often implemented as a single transceiver module. Each individual transceiver module generally has a separate encasing. The encasings can potentially be expensive and bulky. The individual transceiver modules may be coupled to a host to allow for host control of the transceiver modules. The transceiver modules generally have an electrical connection that is connected to a dedicated module connection in the host.
Most host computing systems have limited space for dedicated module connections, thereby limiting the number of transceiver modules that a single host can accommodate. However, as the speed and complexity of optical networks increases, there is a corresponding need to increase the number of optical transceivers supported by a single host. One solution to this has been to use larger hosts or to use multiple hosts. However, this is very expensive. In addition, larger hosts may be impractical for many networking applications in which space is at a premium.
Therefore, what would be advantageous is to further increase the number of optical transceivers supported by a single host, while advantageously keeping the size of the host small.